TfL trials mobile charging with electric construction vehicles

Transport for London (TfL) is working with FM Conway on a six-week trial of zero-emission construction vehicles, which includes a UK first using mobile recharging. 

The pair have partnered with Volvo Construction Equipment and SMT to deliver the trial, with an electric excavator and wheel loader replacing equipment traditionally powered by fossil fuels, a first for TfL. 

Matt Tallon, sustainability director at FM Conway, said: “FM Conway is always looking for ways to support Transport for London in reaching their net zero ambitions, and a strong supply chain filled with companies willing to innovate has been key in the delivery of this trial.

“This bespoke charging solution removes many of the barriers we have faced in the use of electric plant machinery, and we've seen from the works on Redcliffe Gardens that it represents a viable option for similar sites in future.”

The electric vehicles (EVs) use a method of recharging provided by Charge Fairy, a British electric charging startup. 

They are able to provide real-time updates on the machines’ charging levels when on-site, which feeds into a team who can then send a charging van to the site. 

Bringing the charger to the vehicle allows them to be recharged in an hour. 

Ed Lea, founder of Charge Fairy, said: “We’ve long advocated that bringing energy to electric vehicles can make more sense than taking the vehicle to a charger—nowhere is this more true than with construction equipment.

“Our work at Redcliffe Gardens with TfL, Conway, and Volvo CE has demonstrated how intelligent energy delivery enables electric plant to operate for a full workday, overcoming one of the key challenges of construction electrification.”

Diesel construction excavators, says TfL, are responsible for emissions equivalent to more than 100,000 passenger cars. 

Early data from the trial confirms that in a two-week period, the electric excavator saved more than 100kg of CO2, equivalent to driving a car 600 kilometres. 

Additional harmful pollutants were eliminated (e.g. NOx, particulate matter, non-methane hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide) when compared with a diesel excavator completing the same work.